Love Island: USA season 6 has officially come and gone — with the exception of the reunion, set to air on Monday, August 19, at 9pm ET/6pm PT — and a lot has changed since the finalists left Fiji once and for all. While first place finishers Serena Page and Kordell Beckham, second place finishers Leah Kateb and Miguel Harichi, and third place finishers JaNa Craig and Kenny Rodriguez are seemingly going strong, it appears to be trouble in paradise for fourth place finishers Nicole Jacky and Kendall Washington, stepping out of the spotlight as soon as the show came to a close.
After an intimate video of Kendall was leaked by a former fling shortly after the series concluded, Nicole and Kendall have kept relatively quiet on social media, which is a stark contrast from the actions of their fellow contestants. Leaving fans to wonder whether or not things are alright between the duo, both parties took to their Instagram stories to address their absence, as well as the NSFW video as a whole:
Kendall: “What a way to get my phone back y’all. I just want to address the content that came out from my past. That was something I shared to someone in confidence and trust. It’s unfortunate that it’s no longer private, but it is what it is. I want to thank you all for the calls/texts to support me during this time. I am so grateful for my Love Island experience, and I love you all for tuning in to watch my journey. Excited for what’s next.”
Nicole: “Some of you have noticed that I’ve been quiet and not posting much, so just wanted to provide an update. While Love Island was an amazing experience, things have not been easy since leaving the villa. There’s much more to share on what has happened since coming home, and for now, I’ve been taking time to process — these are real feelings and my real life. Thanks for understanding. Love y’all.”
Because of the seemingly rocky road Nicole and Kendall have had since leaving the villa — as well as observations during the cast’s day at Universal Studios, where the pair appeared to be avoiding one another — fans of the franchise cannot help but wonder whether or not the two lovebirds are still a couple. Fortunately, we got you covered with all of the nitty gritty details, from the wise words of Kendall himself.
Nicole and Kendall are allegedly still together
On an episode of The Viall Files podcast — hosted by television personality and Bachelor Nation alum Nick Viall — Kendall discussed all things regarding his relationship with Nicole, admitting that “Right now, outside the villa, yes, we are together, and it’s just an adjustment of, ‘OK, what is our life? How do we make this work on the outside?'”
According to the Love Island: USA contestant himself, Nicole has had a harder time with being in the public eye and seeing everyone’s opinions after the show came to a close, while he has had a better ability to disregard any hateful comments. Because of this, they have taken a step back when it comes to their public appearances to protect Nicole’s mental health, but the duo is still trying to make things work together.
Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing whether or not their relationship will actually last when it comes to long distance and living a normal life as a couple:
“It’s not 100 I’d say, because there’s no guarantees on what will happen. I don’t know the future. I don’t know what’s going to happen in a week or a day. It will be a lie if I said 100 percent chance, because I just don’t know, but I believe that when we have those conversations, it can go well.”
Seemingly in a period of limbo, it will be interesting to see how Nicole and Kendall interact with one another at the reunion, or whether or not they will still be together by that point in time. Nonetheless, we will be keeping up with both parties on social media for all of the updates, good or bad…